Nerd Sessions
by luckychaos
Summary: When the MMORPG Elder Tale becomes reality, ten friends find themselves trapped in a world that's both familiar and not. What at first seems like a dream come true quickly becomes something else entirely: a land of power-hungry guilds, the politics of the People of the Land, intelligent monsters, and food that tastes like soggy bread.
1. Chapter 1: The Catastrophe

**Nerd Sessions**

**Chapter 1: The Catastrophe**

**Great Lakes - Safe Half**

**North American Server**

**Kanter Imperium: Great Lakes**

**City/No Monsters**

**Non-PvP**

**Entry Restrictions: None**

**Exit Restrictions: None**

The city didn't fit the setting whatsoever. Immense skyscrapers spread across the land, covering everything in their shadows, but whatever glory they must've carried had been lost long ago. They were covered in grime and moss, making them appear long-forgotten by time and memory. The vast state of disrepair made the entire city appear ancient, but that just couldn't have been possible.

Chicago was more advanced than the world of _Elder Tale_, a land of swords and sorcery. So why were there empty husks of cars littering the streets? Why did nearly every building have a gaping hole in it somewhere and become so abused by centuries of exposure to the elements?

Derv knew that it was odd that those were the first questions that nagged at his mind, despite, well…

"What the hell is going on?!"

"I don't wanna die!"

"Where's the GM?!"

"WHY AM I A CAT?!"

Derv folded his arms and sat down where he had spawned, on the second floor of an apartment building that overlooked the primary meeting square of Chicago, where the ruins of Union Station lay.

_No, this is Great Lakes, isn't it? And that's the Guild Hall now…_

He groaned and rubbed his temples. Or at least tried to, instead poking himself in the eye due to false muscle memory.

"Ugh, _why _did I have to make my character a different body type than me?" he complained, rubbing at the sore spot and blinking away tears. The pain was swiftly forgotten, though. There were simply too many mysteries to answer.

_Like why the hell I'm in a video game,_ Derv thought.

It didn't feel like a video game, though. In fact, if the similarities to _Elder Tale _weren't so prevalent, then Derv would've easily assumed he was in some post-apocalyptic reality or… something. He felt the soft moss between his hands when he ran them across the walls. He heard the chirping and squawks of birds outside, accompanied by the thick smell of rotting life coming from the Lake Michigan beach. The sun was nearly blinding outside, causing him to cover his hands to protect his eyes.

No, it didn't feel like a video game at all.

_Then why am I wearing all my gear from the game? And this body is definitely not mine… but it is familiar…_

He rubbed at his chin, which was narrow and noticeably devoid of the thick beard he'd been sporting not five minutes ago. His hands were as dainty as they'd been before, but his right middle finger no longer had the scar running the length of it from when a metal wire cut it, and his left hand didn't have the mole next to the pinky finger anymore.

Not to mention what he was wearing. Gone were the grey hoodie and dark jeans. They were replaced by flowing emerald-green robes lined with indigo along the edges. He recognized them as the Vestments of the Grove Guardian he'd gotten at the first, and last, raid he'd done in _Elder Tale._

Derv looked back outside, clutching the staff at his side and feeling unnerved at how he could touch all the imperfections in its wood. There were grooves where he held it, not there by design but worn down by use and time.

_There's no doubt about it, this is _Elder Tale_. But what the hell…_

He was snapped from his reverie by the sound of a telephone ringing. His vision was instantly filled with various screens, not dissimilar from the menu options of _Elder Tale_. One of them was blinking right before his eyes, showing the image of a phone hopping off its hook as well as the face of the person calling him. Derv's eyes widened when the recognized the name.

His hands darted toward the image, which flashed at his touch and then faded. A familiar voice echoed in his head.

_"Trev?! Is that you?"_

Derv breathed a sigh of relief. _"Yeah, it's me, Doug," _he replied, the words being transmitted to his friend telepathically. Somehow the motion, or lack thereof, felt natural, as if his body had known what to do despite he himself being unaware of it. For once, though, he wouldn't question it. _"Thank god, I thought I'd be alone here."_

_"Same, man." _Derv could easily feel the relief in his friend's voice. Still, he sounded remarkably collected, considering what was going on. _"Shit's not making sense at all. Where you at?"_

_"Outside Union Station. Although… I guess it's the Guild Hall now, isn't it?"_

A pause from the other end. _"I don't… Yeah, okay. I'm headed there now. I'mma try to contact the other nerds, see if they're here, too. See ya in a few."_

_"See ya soon." _At that, the communication was broken. Derv frowned. Doug was almost _never _at a loss for words. He was usually the first to declare his opinion on anything and wouldn't back down from it unless overwhelmed by evidence to the contrary. To hear his sometimes-bull-headed best friend being uncertain was… telling.

It made Derv feel much less at ease at what was happening. The gravity of the situation had yet to truly hit him. Was he really trapped in a game? Would he ever see his home again? What about his family? Or his other friends that he knew had likely never even heard of _Elder Tale_? But more importantly…

Why did he feel so giddy about it all?

After all, he felt… _strong_. At least, stronger than he had back in the real world. He didn't know it so much as he sensed power coursing through his body, as if rivers of pulsing energy were constantly flowing beneath his skin. He knew that despite his frail frame, he could probably flip a car on his own, or run a mile without tiring. It wasn't like his Strength and Dexterity stats were high at all, considering his class, but any level 90's base stats were well above what could be considered 'normal' for a human being.

Derv felt the mana shifting with his limbs as he moved. Was he even human anymore? He felt more powerful than any human had a right to be. And if he had the full magical power of a Summoner like he did in the game…

Just what was he capable of now?

Well, there was only one way to find out. If Doug was able to call him, then that must've meant that the menu from the game still existed, but how did you access it? Just to see if it worked, Derv said "Menu." A series of green boxes and symbols popped into existence at the word, causing him to yelp in surprise and take a few steps back. After giving it a cursory look, he tentatively tapped the 'Options' button, which sure enough opened the Options Menu. Taking a deep breath, he tapped 'Logout'…

… and nothing happened.

Derv sighed. It was a worth a shot. After exiting the Options Menu, he went to his Class Skills page. A wide variety of spells were displayed; the full repertoire of a level 90 Summoner could be overwhelming, although the same could be said for any class that was high enough level. After mulling over his options, he pressed **Summon Servant: Undine**.

The display disappeared and his hands started to glow blue. The white gem at the tip of his staff, the Uplifting Mage-Scholar's Staff_, _began to glow brightly. Derv wasn't exactly sure what to expect when one actually used magic, but this had felt… natural. As if it were as simple as moving a limb he couldn't see.

Blue lights faded into existence before him, swirling and gathering into the approximate form of a humanoid roughly as big as him. A bright blue flash engulfed his vision, momentarily blinding him, but when the light faded, the solid form of an undine hovered just above the floor. Its skin was ocean-blue, and seemed to shimmer in the sun's light. The water spirit's body was an imitation of a beautiful human woman's, but one whose limbs were much thinner and longer, and had webbed toes and fingers. Long light blue hair flowed down from its head down the full length of its body, two pointed ears poking out. But what struck Derv most where its eyes; twin orbs of solid blue, devoid of irises. It was like staring into a calm, bottomless sea.

She was also _quite _naked.

"I know it's been a while since you got any," a familiar voice said from the doorway behind Derv, "But is there any chance you keep it in your pants until _after _we found out what the hell is going on?"

Derv groaned, palming his face. Of _course _someone would walk in right when that happened. He turned to face his best friend. Shorter than Derv by a couple inches, a man stood in the doorway, arms folded. He wore a red hood and cloak over chain-link armor that covered his torso and limbs. Leather gloves squeaked when he moved to grab Derv's hand, the two friends clasping each other's arms before pulling in for a hug. After breaking off, Derv noticed a title card beside him.

**Sykko**

**Race/Human**

**Swashbuckler, Lv. 90**

**Nerd Sessions - Guild Master**

He didn't look exactly like the friend he'd known in real life, with short cut black hair and a moustache, but the way he carried himself, shoulders always squared, confirmed to Derv without a shadow of a doubt that it was him.

"So, 'Sykko'…" Derv started, finding himself grinning for no real reason. "This is some shit."

His friend snorted, walking across the room and keeping some distance between himself and the undine as he did. "No shit," he agreed. "It sure as hell is _Elder Tale_, but everything feels too real to be a game." Sykko peered out the window that overlooked the Guild Hall. The confused and furious cries of other adventurers could still be heard outside.

Derv nodded. "You remember anything before this happened? I know we were all at my house, but I can't think of anything weird happening up until we ended up here."

"Me neither," Sykko shook his head, frowning. "Bennett was bitching about the outdated graphics, but that's hardly anything new. I'd just logged on right after you guys, then I blinked and here I was."

"Same." Derv glanced at his undine, which was still just floating in the air idly and staring at him. "Say, do you feel… different at all?"

"Well, I'm shorter than you, which is just fucking ridiculous," the swashbuckler muttered wryly, causing Derv to laugh. His expression growing serious, he continued, "But yeah, I do. I'm _strong_, dude. I can feel it. This body…" he stared at his open-palm hands, "It's _powerful_. I dunno how to describe it."

"Kinda like how if your in-game stats were applied to your actual body?" Derv pressed.

"… Yeah, exactly like that." Sykko's face grew pensive. After a few moments, he cursed. "We're actually in a fucking game."

"You contact the others yet?" Derv asked, seeking to change the subject. Sykko nodded.

"Yeah, all the nerds except DiVerde are here somewhere," he explained, then snorted. "Of course he was still patching… Anyway, everyone except Alex answered me. We're gonna meet at the Guild Hall then work from there."

"Sound gucci," said Derv. Sykko rolled his eyes at the choice of words.

"Let's go, weirdo," he said, smiling as he walked back across the room. As he passed the undine, he commented, "You gonna keep the naked chick hanging around or what?"

"Ah, no," Derv flushed, bringing up the Skills menu to dismiss her. "There's gotta be a better way to do this…"

-NS-

**Guild Hall**

**North American Server**

**Great Lakes**

**City/No Monsters**

**No PvP**

**Entry Restrictions: None**

**Exit Restrictions: None**

The members of the Nerd Sessions guild never saw much reason to upgrade their guild hall, and it showed. They barely spent time there when _Elder Tale _was a game, only acquiring it in the first place because it was part of the package when one started a guild. Besides, why would they? They knew each other in real life and so didn't feel like it was necessary for one reason or another.

An unfortunate side effect was that the place looked downright Spartan, especially in the new reality. There were a grand total of two rooms: a medium-sized kitchen/dining/living room and a tiny bedroom. There wasn't a single decoration in the place, save for the Nerd Sessions guild banner hanging on the wall across the doorway, with their symbol, an orange flame on a grey field, emblazoned.

"This place is smaller than my apartment," whined one of the people in the guild hall, a ridiculously tall man wearing golden leather armor. Two wolf ears poked out of his messy, spiky brown hair and he kept at least one hand on the hilt of one of the two swords sheathed as his hip at all times.

**Vellrish**

**Race/Wolf Fang**

**Swashbuckler, Lv. 90**

**Nerd Sessions**

"Tell me about it," groused the bulky man next to him, his blonde and blue-eyed face downcast. Dark blue robes covered his body, trimmed with black fur along the edges. Thick grey plate covered his torso over the robes, and a massive tower shield was strung on his back. "Can't believe we're living like fuckin' plebeians right now."

**Benedor**

**Race/Human**

**Cleric, Lv. 90**

**Nerd Sessions**

"You _do _realize that you were the one who said you didn't want to spend gold on this place, Bennett?" accused the shortest of the three. In fact, the top of his bald head only reached their chests. His leather armor a blotchy mess of green and brown, a green hooded cape was draped over his shoulders. He folded his arms and glared at Benedor. "Reap what you sow, dumbass."

**Monsumesi**

**Race/Dwarf**

**Assassin, Lv. 90**

**Nerd Sessions**

"Aw, you're just grumpy because you're super short now, isn't that right, Mike?" Vellrish shot back condescendingly, smirking. He reached to pat the dwarf on the head, but his hand was instantly smacked aside.

"Blow me, asshole," Monsumesi cleverly retorted. "I swear, why'd I roll a dwarf of all things…"

"I've said it before and I'll say it again," Benedor chided, grinning, "Human race is master race."

"Said the kid with blonde hair and blue eyes," commented Monsumesi, rolling his eyes.

"Naturally," Benedor responded, straight-faced.

"Good to see _something _hasn't changed," Derv declared as he and Sykko entered the room. The three other guild members turned to face them. "Even if it's Bennett being Bennett."

**Derv**

**Race/Ritual**

**Summoner, Lv. 90**

**Nerd Sessions**

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with me," Benedor flashed him a grin. "I'm perfect."

"Right," Derv drawled, even as the two friends embraced. The rest of them greeted each other and exchanged the usual pleasantries (which involved making fun of Monsumesi's height as well as Vellrish's garish choice of armor). Once that was out of the way, the five guild members formed a circle.

"So," Monsumesi started, looking around, "Where're the others?"

"Jack and Matt said they'd be here soon," Sykko answered. He idly tossed a throwing dagger in the air, catching it before tossing it back up again. "Connor said something about 'going for a spin' or some shit like that, but he'll be here eventually." He shook his head. "Alex is online, but he won't answer my damn calls. Zach said he'd look for him."

"Of course Alex is missing," Vellrish, shaking his head.

"Well…" Derv said, scratching the back of his head. "What're we gonna do now? Far as I can tell, we're stuck here."

"Maybe if we just do what we normally would in the game, we could, I dunno, beat it and get out?" Mons offered.

"How do you beat an MMO?" Benedor sniped.

"It was just an idea, ass. You got anything better?"

"Not really," the cleric shrugged his bulky shoulders. "What's the point? We have no idea how to get back."

"Hate to say it, but he's right," Sykko said, frowning. "We should just consolidate what we have and try to survive for now. We know jack shit about the situation and we can't do anything until we know more."

"If that's the case, can we _please _invest in a better guild hall?" Vellrish groused, waving a hand at the hall in question. "There's no way ten dudes are gonna fit in here."

"Aw, don't wanna cuddle with me, Bretty?" Benedor pretended to ask coyly, smirking.

"If you wanna deal with me snoring, that's on you."

"Oh, shit, forgot about that. Yeah, fuck that."

"I also vote on upgrading this place ASAP," Derv added. "Although we won't be able to upgrade too much since there's only ten people in the guild."

"Yeah, that'll be first," Sykko nodded. "After we get the others. Then - hold up."

His head jerked slightly and he placed a hand to his ear. "What's up, Zach? Cool, where is he? … Of course." He sighed. "Yeah, we're headed there now." He made a 'Follow me' gesture with his free hand, and the four adventurers walked behind him as they headed to the door. "I'll let the rest know. See ya in a few."

"Where we going?" asked Mons.

"Just outside the city," Sykko answered. The five of them exited the room, revealing a long bronze and gold-painted hallway. Adventurers from other guilds exited and entered the various doors around them that lined the area. "In the infested zone. That works out pretty well, since I was gonna say we should try to figure out combat as soon as possible."

"Finally," Benedor said, "But it's bullshit that I'm not an assassin. Why'd you let me roll a cleric?"

"_You're _the one that wanted to be like a paladin," Vellrish reminded him. "You have a giant ass shield that you beat people to death with. Stop complaining."

-NS-

**Great Lakes - Infested Half**

**North American Server**

**Kanter Imperium/Great Lakes**

**Field/Monsters present**

**Demihumans present**

**Entry restrictions/None**

**Events/None currently**

The west and south sides of Great Lakes were in a state of total disrepair. While the buildings in Great Lakes proper were overgrown, they were at least still standing. The same could not be said for the infested regions. The ruins of dozens of collapsed structures littered the thick forest, laid low by time and the elements. Where before there was at least a sense of civilization, now it truly felt like the city had been violently overcome and left to rot.

Derv looked around uneasily as they walked across the bridge into the infested zone. He actually recognized a few of the buildings they'd walked past from Chicago, and seeing them in such a sorry state made him feel like he was in a warzone. Idly, he wondered about a friend of his that owned an apartment on the south side of Chicago. Would he find that building among the ruins, too?

"You alright, Trev?" Derv started at the sound, and turned to see Sykko walking beside him, red cloak flowing behind him in the wind. The two of them were leading the group, with Mons right behind them and Vellrish and Benedor taking up the rear.

He shrugged in response, hand tightening its grip on his staff despite the show of nonchalance. "Just thinking about home is all. It's weird seeing Chicago like this."

Sykko nodded. "I hear ya. We'll figure shit out, we always do."

Derv snorted. "I don't think we've ever had to deal with shit like this before."

"Maybe not," Sykko smiled slightly. "But maybe we have. After all, we've beaten hundreds of games before. What's so different about this?"

"Hell, I've beaten _Dark Souls_," Mons chimed in from behind them, "This can't be any worse than that."

"Exactly," Sykko nodded, "We've saved the world how many times? We'll do it again here."

"We'll see," Derv said, unconvinced. "We need to figure out how to fight first of all. I get the feeling that dealing with the skills menu is going to be a bitch in the middle of combat."

"Yeah, there's gotta be a way around that," Sykko mused. "You can probably go ahead and get a summon up now, save you some time."

"Hm, good idea," Derv agreed. He glanced over at the rest of the group. "We got a decent frontline with Brett and Bennett, and with you two our ranged DPS is solid. We won't really need heals… guess we got our bases covered so long as we don't go anywhere too high level."

"Considering this place's strongest mobs are only level 30, this'll be a cake walk." Sykko shrugged. "Summon whatever you want, dude."

Derv rubbed his bare chin as he opened up his Class Skills. The group had crossed the bridge at the point and had entered the forest proper. Sunlight leaked between the trees, making the shadows seem only darker in comparison. The skittering and buzzing of critters beneath the canopy made everything feel vibrant and truly _alive_.

_The longer we're here, the more I feel like this is reality._

Pushing the thought aside for now, Derv stared at the skills menu, pointer finger scrolling through his options. Even though he had a mixed Elementalist and Necromancer build that narrowed his options down somewhat, there were still so many summons to choose from…

_Well, might as well go with something that'll give us some magic DPS._

He tapped **Summon Servant: Undine**, and the water spirit manifested once more beside him, crystal on his staff glowing in her presence. His face flushed with heat when he realized that she was _still naked_.

"… You watch too much damn anime," Sykko grumbled. The rest snickered. The undine placed a dainty hand over her mouth and giggled. Derv was about to snap when he realized something.

_Did… did a summon just giggle?! … And she's taking their side?!_

"Whuh… huh…" was all Derv could manage. He wasn't sure which thing to be more flabbergasted about. Palming his forehead, the Summoner groaned. One thing at a time, otherwise a migraine would likely kill him before the damn monsters would.

"So… you can laugh, now?" Derv asked his servant, feeling like an idiot while doing so. The very idea seemed utterly unreal, considering the damn things were simply spells not a half hour ago. And now… could they actually be _sentient_?

"I suppose so, Master," the undine responded, voice melodious and soothing. She tilted her head to the side, smiling brilliantly. "I cannot say I have experience however. Your companions laughed so I simply thought doing likewise was acceptable."

Derv could _feel _the eyes of his friends boring into his back.

_Don't say anything, don't say anything, don't say anything…_

"Oooh, she called you 'master'," Mons jeered, "Bet you like it like that, don't cha?"

The others broke into laughter, and the undine joined them, albeit with more exaggerated movement. Derv glowered at all of them.

_If irritation were a stat, I'd say it would be by far my highest._

"God…" Derv grumbled, wiping his hands on his face, "Alright, looks like you and I are gonna have a long talk-Shut up!" he yelled when his friends laughed even louder. He sighed and continued, "-About what to do and what not to do, since apparently you're _sentient now_."

"As you wish, Master," the undine said, still grinning. It was growing difficult to be mad at her, considering how cute she was.

"Um… let's get some clothes on you first." Undines, along with several other humanoid-type summons, had customizable appearances to fit their masters' tastes. Derv hadn't bothered with the feature before since it felt weird to him putting costumes on a wild water spirit, and anyway the 'nude' model hardly actually looked like a naked woman considering _Elder Tale _was on the softer side of the T rating. Now though…

After mulling over his options, Derv selected the sweater outfit. A grey wool sweater materialized on the undine, accompanied by a pair of green shorts. The undine twirled about in air, looking herself over, smiling all the while.

"It feels nice," she said softly.

Derv was keenly aware of the fact that none of his friends were saying anything now."So… do you have a name?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Maybe, once, but the river I was born from has long since dried up. You are my river now, Master."

"Ah… I see," Derv shifted about, frowning. This all merited further exploration… but later. For now they needed to find the rest of their friends. "Well then. I can't just keep referring to you as 'undine', so… how does Yue sound to you?"

"Yue…" she whispered slowly, as if she were tasting the word for the first time, "Yue…" She smiled. "I like it. I'm Yue!"

"Of course you name her after an _Avatar _character," Benedor said from behind him, although his tone wasn't mocking.

Derv ignored him. "So, shall we, Yue?" he smiled at her, and she returned it with an even greater grin.

"Yes! Yue! We shall!" she cried joyfully, practically bouncing in the air with giddiness. Her excitement was infectious, and Derv couldn't help but feel elated along with her.

_Perhaps that has something to do with the bond between Summoner and servant?_

Derv was snapped from his reverie by a hard smack on his shoulder that nearly sent him to the ground. He turned to see Sykko smirking behind him. "C'mon man. We'll figure everything out, but first we gotta find everyone."

Derv looked at his friend briefly before nodding. One thing at a time. Nothing else needing to be said, the group continued onward into the unknown.

-NS-

Their first clues that Alex was nearby were the sounds of explosions. Then came the maniacal laughter.

"HAHAHAHA! YES! BLOOD! _BLOOD!_"

All five adventurers groaned in unison, Yue mimicking them shortly after without knowing why they were groaning in the first place. They quickened their pace through the forest, and the path eventually led them to a hill overlooking an open field. Despite many years of playing games under their belts, the group couldn't help but gasp at the chaos that was ensuing before them.

The field was thick with a goblin army, at least two hundred strong. Derv was taken aback with how _real _the monsters looked, from their slick green skin to the uneven, loping strides they took as they moved toward their foe. The demihumans hissed and snarled, creating a foul cacophony of yowls and clanging rusty metal. He could see other shapes amid the green horde, such as immense dire wolves with salivating fangs and unearthly red eyes and clumsy hobgoblins standing several heads taller than the rest, the hulking cousins of their far more numerous brethren.

The goblins' levels were in the low twenties, with the dire wolves and hobgoblins in the high thirties. Hardly real threats for level 90 adventurers, unless it was only one against a couple hundred of the demihumans and monsters. Which was exactly what was happening.

Something _smashed _into the earth at the center of the encroaching army, tearing the ground asunder, outright killing dozens and sending more flying into the air. The source was a towering warrior, covered head to toe in plated armor as white as bone. He easily swung an immense two-handed black axe, slaying monsters with every sweep and causing them to explode in white lights and bubbles. His expression was one of pure manic glee, a wide, fanged grin plastered on his face.

The horde kept charging at the lone Guardian, and he continued to fight, undaunted by the numbers.

"Jesus…" Vellrish breathed, "Did he aggro the entire damn zone?!"

"As a matter of fact," a hoarse voice answered behind them, "That's exactly what he did."

They turned to see a tall man stride out of the forest. Wearing a black tunic interlaced with dark chains along the trimming, his clean-shaven face looked amused as he approached them. He ran a hand through his thick black hair, the other hand gripping a staff made out of some sort of blue bark.

**Hollis**

**Race/Half-Alv**

**Medicine Man, Lv. 90**

**Nerd Sessions**

"'Sup, Zach?" Benedor and Vellrish said in unison, both pulling Hollis into a tight hug. The medicine man groaned at the force, almost gasping for breath, but didn't protest. In fact, he was actually smiling.

_He's just as relieved as the rest of us that he's not alone here, _Derv thought as he and the rest of the group greeted their lanky friend.

"**Onslaught!**" roared the warrior, causing everyone to flinch and turn back to see what was going on. His battleaxe began to glow a bright red as he held it high in the air, right before he cleaved through four goblins and a hobgoblin at once. The glow grew even brighter up until the second swing, after which it faded away.

"Did he just use a skill?" Derv asked, still not quite believing the sheer amount of _power _that radiated off of their berserking friend.

Hollis nodded. "Yeah, turns out you just need to say the skill name and do the motion. Your body does the rest. Of course, didn't learn that until _after _Alex pulled half the damn forest."

"Hm," Benedor grunted, raising up his hands. "So like this? **Judgment Ray!**"

Holy light arose from his chest, snaking upwards into his hands. Derv had to cover his eyes as the brilliant radiance expanded and burst from Benedor's hands, sending a shimmering laser beam straight at the goblin army. Three of the demihumans were instantly killed by the ray, causing those nearby to turn and face the new threat. Screeching with rage, a pack of goblins charged.

"Way to pull aggro, dumbass," Mons chided, drawing his bow. Everyone else quickly followed suite, unsheathing blades that glinted in the sunlight and staffs that began to glow with ethereal light. Icicles formed around Yue's hands, swirling in the air as the spirit giggled in anticipation.

"You're just jealous I got first blood," Benedor commented as he hefted his shield, which was easily as tall as him.

"Oh hey guys, how's it-OH SHIT!"

Two more people walked into the clearing, easy-going expressions quickly growing terrified when they beheld just what was waiting for them. One was a medium-size Ritual man with a swirling red tattoo on his left cheek, wearing a simple tan tunic and leg guards shaped into the fierce expressions of tigers. His two metal gauntlets hummed quietly, only barely audible over the din of rampaging goblins and the Guardian in the distance.

**Snodd**

**Race/Ritual**

**Monk, Lv. 90**

**Nerd Sessions**

The other man was taller than him. _Taller than me, too,_ Derv noted sourly. With pointy ears poking out of a messy mop of orange hair, he was gripping a wicked-looking trident in his hands. The weapon looked as if it were made of gold at the tips, with the shaft colored a sickly green. His silver vest glinted like metal, despite being made of silk and wool.

**Linus**

**Race/Elf**

**Bard, Lv. 90**

**Nerd Sessions**

"Explanations later!" Sykko shouted, brandishing a pair of throwing daggers. At the end of each hilt was the symbol of a weeping clown. "Killing now!"

The goblins were almost upon them. Derv felt something like fear spark in his mind, but his body was calm. It made the motions as if it had thousands of times, which he supposed it had. His grip on the Mage-Scholar's Staff never trembled when he raised it up, feeling the channels of mana churning within him like a maelstrom. Raw power coursed through his veins, and he couldn't help but make a grin matching the rampaging Guardian's.

_How many times have I dreamed about this? That _we've _dreamed about this?_

Yue glided to his side, looking at him with those dark blue eyes. Seeing his smile, she imitated him and stared forward as the ice magic began to flow around her like a blizzard.

"Three…" Sykko counted. Vellrish tightened his grip on his dual straight swords and slowly smiled. Linus moved between him and Hollis, pointing the trident at the charging enemy. Snodd placed himself next to Sykko, raising his fists. Benedor locked his shield into place ahead of him while Hollis twirled his staff before gripping it with both hands.

"Tw-"

"YEAHHHHHOOOOHOOOHOOOO!" hollered a high-pitched voice directly before them, right before a massive fireball slammed from the heavens into the goblin army where the berserker was still fighting. The resulting explosion engulfed almost a fourth of the entire force.

"Well, looks like Connor made it," Snodd snorted.

"Fuck it, ONE!" Sykko shouted.

Then more explosions happened.

-NS-

**Aditon**

**Race/Wolf Fang**

**Guardian, Lv. 90**

**Nerd Sessions**

The red haze that had clouded Aditon's vision faded, causing him to curse with impatience. **Fury of the Beast**, a racial ability unique to Wolf Fangs, had given him a drastic increase to his Strength and Dexterity. Unfortunately, if the buff lasted too long then Wolf Fangs would've been a bit broken, so the effect only lasted for a minute. Even more unfortunately, it had been freaking _awesome _feeling his already powerful body gain such a ridiculous boost, but when it left he couldn't help but feel _weaker_.

Of course, while technically true, he was hardly weak by any means to begin with.

Pouring all of his frustration into a great swing, Aditon bellowed, "**Armor Crash!**" and smashed his axe, the Brutalizer, into the earth. A deafening thunder resounded through the air as ground broke from the force, sending both chunks of dirt and goblins flying. More demihumans quickly filled the gaps, heedless of the present danger, either from a desire to avenge fallen comrades or simple bloodlust.

It mattered not.

"**Cross Slash!**" Two quick strikes felled them. More came.

"YES!" Aditon screamed, even as a dire wolf reached past his defenses and bit at his arm. "Bring me more!" With a heave he tossed the monster off of him, sending it howling back into the enemy ranks. "Bring me _enemies!_" They obliged.

He had wanted this more than anything in the world. The chance to truly charge into battle, to strike down an army of foes, to feel the rush of raw, vicious _war_ pumping through his heart. He had always talked about it, back home. In fact, if you asked his friends, they'd say he talked about it _too _much. After all, normal people didn't talk about how much they'd enjoy feeling the blood of a defeated foe splash against your face.

_Too bad these things don't seem to bleed, _Aditon mused as he split a hobgoblin in half, the remains bursting into light that dissolved into bubbles. _Or maybe it's because I keep killing them with one hit?_

A laser beam coming from the east snapped him from his reverie. He followed the beam's path and saw a familiar group of figures standing at the forest's edge. Aditon smiled and tried to wave them down, but was interrupted by a large pack of hobgoblins attacking him as one, dog piling him and dragging the Guardian to the ground. Even as they beat him with thick wooden clubs, he grinned.

"**Anchor Howl!**" he roared. "C'mon! BRING ME MORE!" For a moment, he felt his challenge, no, his _entire being_, call out to the entire world and demand to _pay attention to me_. Such was the hypnotic effect of a taunt, and the goblins were powerless to resist. Dozens of the demihumans leapt on top of their hobgoblin allies, joining in the vicious pounding.

Aditon, despite himself, winced at the exponentially growing weight on him. His fingers dug into the earth, steadying himself from the onslaught. His defenses were taking a pounding, but he smirked when he prepared to activate his ace in the hole…

Or he would have, if **Fury of the Beast **still hadn't been on cooldown.

He cursed, even as one of his arms finally failed. The combined weight of well over twenty hobgoblins and goblins was getting to him, especially with his HP and MP so drained. Aditon's face pressed into the dirt, he could barely breath anymore.

_Figures, _he thought, _Right when my dream comes true, I lose it all because I get too carried away._

That was when the fire came.

A wave of heat washed over Aditon, and the creatures assailing him screeched in agony. The pressure on him suddenly lifted, he groaned, stood up, and was welcomed by the sight of a blasted and burning battlefield. Goblins set aflame squealed as they ran, panicked and routed. Dire wolves desperately rolled in the ground in an attempt to put out the flames, and hobgoblins only stumbled about as fire slowly ate away at their HP.

"Ahhhh… ow," whined the bringer of such calamity. Fumbling out of a crater, the first thing Aditon noted about him were the two vulpine ears that poked out of shoulder-length blonde hair. What followed was a thin figure wearing what looked like a frayed and dirty robe. With golden eyes, the harbinger of fiery destruction said, "Oh hey, what's up man?"

**Gotenks**

**Race/Fox Tail**

**Sorcerer, Lv. 90**

**Nerd Sessions**

"Connor!" Aditon greeted, rushing over to pull his friend into a hug. "The hell did you do?!"

"Ah," Gotenks quickly pulled himself out of the hug and looked about, slight smile on his face, "Just wanted to see if I could pull an Azula, ya know, flying with fire. Kinda worked. Although it worked more like a human mortar than anything."

"I love it!" As he said it though, glowing eyes began to appear through the smoke, followed by hunched figures slowly making their way forward. "Although it looks like you got hella aggro."

"Nah," Gotenks scoffed, hand pulling on his frayed robes. "Wild Witch's Rags. Nullifies hate so long as there's someone else to take the blame."

"Oh," Aditon said, before smirking. "You're damn lucky I'm _supposed _to take the blame, ass."

The sorcerer shrugged. "Don't hate the player, hate the game." As he said that, orbs of simmering crimson energy formed in his hands.

"Hate the game?" Aditon sounded completely baffled. He hefted the Brutalizer up, the black weapon shining hungrily as the goblins approached. "Why the hell would I do that?!"

-NS-

"**Purification Barrier!**" Hollis shouted. A wall of blue energy materialized behind Snodd right as a dire wolf moved to charge him. The monster bounced off the hard light of the barrier, giving Snodd enough time to react and finish it off with a stomp.

"Thanks, dude!" Snodd said before launching himself back into the fray. Hollis waved him off and turned his gaze to get a better read on the situation. He was sorely tempted to join in the melee with his friends, but even now his deeply-ingrained operator instincts held true. It was why he was able to step back from the battle and read the entire situation.

Half of the goblin army had been wiped out, mostly thanks to Gotenks' crash landing. He could see the Sorcerer and Aditon fighting on their own ahead of everyone else, dishing out death via fireball and axe swing. The amount of DPS the two could deal on their own was absurd, and if they'd been facing higher level foes then Hollis would've been more concerned.

He was still a little concerned though, so he cast two **Chants of Recovery** on them, letting the HoT spells handle whatever damage they might take.

"Oooh, that one's pretty!" Derv's undine shouted as she shot an **Ice Arrow **from her fingertips, skewering a goblin. Hollis wasn't sure if she was referring to his spell or the goblin she'd just killed. So he did what he always did whenever something weird happened: shrug and shoot magic at something.

-NS-

Ten level 90 adventurers versus two hundred level 23 goblins, with at least fifty hobgoblins and dire wolves roughly in the level 30 range.

It was a wholesale slaughter.

Linus drove his trident through the chest of the last goblin, which spat out a thick black liquid before fading away into nothing. Gold coins clinked as they fell to the ground from where the demihuman had once stood. The Bard shook his head as he picked up one of the gold coins and examined it closely.

"Really?" he breathed, shaking his head. "These things _actually _drop loot."

He collected the rest of the gold, regardless of his disbelief. Some old habits couldn't be ignored, even if his life had suddenly been flipped on its head. Perhaps _especially _because of that.

Sighing, Linus tightened his grip on the Viper Trident and made his way to where his friends were gathering. Idly, he noticed that he wasn't even tired. He'd swung the clearly-metal trident around as if it weighed almost nothing, stabbing and crushing with ease. He'd ran, dodged, leapt, and fought like a madman, yet… he hadn't even broken a sweat.

Just what the hell was he now? What were any of them?

-NS-

"So…" Vellrish started, once Linus joined the group. They were all standing in the middle of the field, which more resembled a blasted warzone than anything. Large gaps in the earth stretched out like open wounds, scorch marks had ruined swathes of singed grass, and more than a few craters dotted the area. "The first thing you decided to do when you realized we were in the game was _aggro the entire fricking zone?!_"

"You say that like you don't know me," Aditon offered by way of answer, smirking and resting the obsidian axe on his plated shoulder.

"Big shocker, Alex goes on a killing spree the first chance he gets," Sykko said, rolling his eyes. "There's something more important we need to talk about here."

"Like what the hell happened to us," Linus said. Sykko nodded.

"Exactly. Does anyone remember what happened between us starting the game and then ending up here?"

Everyone shook their heads. "I just blinked and then I was in Great Lakes next to Matt." Snodd answered. "Or Linus, I guess."

"So… what do we do?" Monsumesi asked.

The question gave them all pause. The members of Nerd Sessions exchanged glances, trying to find the answer somewhere. Aditon was the only one who looked away, blue eyes staring longingly at the horizon. He closed his eyes and took a shaky deep breath, as if he were restraining himself.

"We need to learn," Hollis finally declared. The rest of the group, Aditon included, turned to face the Medicine Man. He gulped and leaned into his staff before continuing, "We know that _Elder Tale _was coming out with a new expansion today. In fact, if I remember correctly, it had just come out on the Japanese server right when… we got here. But that's it."

"Not exactly," Derv corrected. "We know that this isn't _Elder Tale_. By that I mean it's not the game, despite some game mechanics still being around. I mean," he swept his hands out, gesturing toward the land around them. "Look at it! Everything _feels _real. The sky stretches on forever, our attacks _actually affect the environment_, and…" He took a deep breath. "And my servant _talks_. That never happened before."

Vellrish nodded. "Yeah, that really caught me off-guard."

"I'm with Zach," Derv continued, "We know too little right now. This world may be familiar, but… well, it's obvious something's changed."

"We just have to find out what." Mons stated.

"Then maybe we can find a way back home." Benedor added. Next to him, Aditon shook his head, but stayed silent. Gotenks shifted about uneasily, strange expression crossing his face but also not saying anything.

"One thing at a time," Sykko said. He stepped forward into the circle slightly, not quite putting himself at the center. "We're going to figure this out. We're gonna explore, over-analyze, and learn everything we can about this new world. Because we're nerds, and nerds always take shit like this seriously."

"Hell yeah," Aditon agreed, armored fist clenching.

"We need more resources," Linus noted, "We're piss-poor right now and the guild's tiny. The bigger combat guilds might try to pull a power play or some shit, and there's no way in hell we can go up against them."

"We'll get resources," Benedor said, "I'll make sure of it."

"And we sure as hell better start recruiting. Preferably some more girls," Mons commented, "No offense to you guys, but I really don't want a sausage fest the whole damn time."

"Seconded," said Vellrish.

"Also, we should only use our game names," Gotenks spoke up. Everyone else turned toward him, surprised since it was the first time he'd spoken since they all grouped up. "Everyone else will see them when they look at us, not our 'real' names. It'd just be confusing to anyone we recruit if we kept calling each other 'Connor' or 'Doug'."

"I… don't like that." Benedor folded his arms. "I mean, so what? They can call us by our game names and we call each other by our real names. What's the issue with that?"

"A lot, actually," Snodd said, "We'll just alienate whoever joins up if we do that. Besides, it's kinda difficult to join a group if you can't call people the same name as everyone else."

Sykko nodded. "Yeah, Con's… Gotenks is right." He sighed, rubbing his forehead as he spoke. "I don't like it much either, since it feels like we're losing a piece of home, but we gotta do it. For the sake of the guild."

Aditon shrugged. "Eh, I don't have a problem with that."

"Figured you wouldn't," Hollis snorted, before his expression grew serious. "I don't think it's really hit me, yet," he said quietly.

"Me neither," Snodd said, looking down. He stared at his open palms, as if he couldn't really believe that they were there. "I don't feel like I'm me. This body doesn't belong to me. I dunno how to describe it." He sounded frustrated.

"We'll figure it out," Derv assured him, stepping forward. "This is how things are for now. We're in Theldesia. That's our reality. But I wouldn't want to be stuck here with anyone else more than Nerd Sessions."

"Damn right you wouldn't," Sykko grinned, moving in and gripping Derv's arm. Everyone else echoed the sentiment and moved closer, each raising a fist and bumping with each other at the center. The variety of hands was great, Derv couldn't help but realize: some dainty and bare, others callused and gloved, while others were meaty and covered by plate.

They were trapped in a strange new world in strange new bodies. They commanded powers that none of them fully understood, and were forced to wield them against monsters that wanted nothing less than their total annihilation.

But when they all raised their fists to the sky and shouted as one, Derv couldn't help but feel like they could withstand anything.

-NS-

A lithe shape kept itself low in the bushes, lying in the shadows of the forest. To all appearances it looked like a briar weasel, one of the weaker monsters known to roam the infested half of the Great Lakes. But those who could look beyond such deceit would've seen something entirely different.

**Genius of Masks**

**Eliphas**

**Genius, Lv. 89**

**Rank/Normal**

With crimson eyes it stared at the ten adventurers out celebrating in the field, before shaking its head with disappointment. The thorny branch wrapped around its tail twitched and coiled, causing the briar weasel to turn.

A simple crow looked back at it, single yellow eye gleaming through the darkness.

**Genius of Conjuring**

**Capanaeus**

**Genius, Lv. 89**

**Rank/Normal**

The briar weasel bared its fangs at the crow, pawing at the ground. The black bird cawed once, a harsh and unpleasant noise, before flying off. The briar weasel shook its head once again and turned back toward the adventurers, letting its disgust for their kind fill its core.

_Glorify yourselves all you like,_ Eliphas thought bitterly. _Revel in your newfound power. Let your egos fester and grow like cancer. It will make your fall from Paradise all the sweeter._


	2. Chapter 2: Adaptation

**Nerd Sessions**

**Chapter 2: Adaptation**

Trees that would've given the redwoods of California a run for their money dominated the landscape of what used to be Wisconsin, giving the impression of a mountain range more than a forest. There was a rumor among the local People of the Land that if you could somehow reach the peaks of the immense muma trees, you would have approximately ten seconds before your head was bitten off by a hunting roc. It was a cautionary tale meant to discourage the curious from reaching beyond their grasp, not unlike the tragic story of Daedalus and Icarus.

_Or the idiotic and desperate,_ thought Lilith sourly as she frantically leapt from branch to branch upward. _Although maybe I…_

"She's climbing! Stop her!"

_... Shit._

"**Reflex Boost**," she muttered, right as her vulpine ears twitched and caught the sounds of incoming objects that had less than kind intent. Mid-leap, she twirled in the air, narrowly dodging a spear of ice that shattered against the red bark of the muma tree. She landed on the next branch, ducking in time for a poison-tipped arrow to fly past where her head had been just milliseconds before.

It had taken only one time for her to learn that the defensive support spell, which greatly increased evasion rate, didn't automatically cause objects to miss you like it had in the game. Instead, your body's reaction time was much higher, meaning you still had to _move_ in order to dodge things.

Lilith spared a glance downward, golden eyes gleaming in the shadows. Her pursuers, a party of five very irate adventurers, were climbing up the tree in the same manner she was, albeit much slower. Wait, wasn't one of them-

_Woosh._

-An Assassin. Yup.

A blue-cloaked Werecat materialized next to her out of pink swirling light, fangs bared in a cocky grin. "Got ya know," he snarled, before swiping at her with a dagger and shouting "**Paralyzing Blow**!" The dagger took on a pale yellow hue, glowing dimly under the shade of the muma tree. Lilith cursed and managed to dodge a few lunges, but she knew she couldn't rely on **Reflex Boost **forever against a close-range Assassin.

She pumped her legs and launched herself upward, just in time to dodge yet another of the increasingly-frustrated Werecat's strikes. As she was airborne, Lilith swung a pale hand downward and said "**Nightmare Sphere**." A tiny bolt of lightning shot from her fingertips, striking the area next to the Werecat and then expanding into a sphere of purple translucent energy that quickly encompassed him and the rest of the branch.

She landed next to him and whispered into his ear, "Oh, I don't know about that, kitty-cat."

Growling, the Werecat Assassin spun to strike her. Or tried to, at least. His movements were suddenly much more sluggish, his body seeming only to barely register his mind's commands.

"Damn Enchanters," he spat, even as his body jerked almost comically in an attempt to go faster.

"Hey now, don't hate the player," Lilith chided, grinning cheekily. She leaned closer to him, her face so close to his that they would've been kissing if she moved any further. "Hate the game."

Then she spat a thick, viscous yellow fluid in his face.

"GAH! GET BACK HERE YOU BITCH!" the Werecat hollered as the disgusting liquid soaked his clothes and fur. Lilith simply laughed and jumped on ahead to the next branch.

_Well, that went better than expected. But where the hell are the rest of the-_

A fireball smashed into the branch she was about to land on, setting it aflame.

"Shit!"

She flapped her arms, trying to do… _something_, although what exactly was anyone's guess. **Reflex Boost**wasn't much use when _everything was on fire_. Lilith landed on the burning branch, yelping in pain as the flames licked at her. She cringed and was briefly overwhelmed by the heat, weakened more than usual by her choice of subclass.

"**Gain Immunity!**" Lilith screamed, casting the resistance spell on herself. "**Fire!**"

The flames that were spreading over her body dissipated instantly, but that didn't stop the damage being incurred by the fire around her. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up and continued to climb.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid_, she bitterly thought, noticing that she'd lost nearly half of her HP alone from that incident. _Lost too much time, they're too close…_

Another fireball whizzed past her head, singing a few strands of auburn hair as it went.

_Too close!_

"**Overrunner!**" The last of her MP used up, the icon of a pair of boots appeared in the upper-right corner of her vision. Lilith took a deep breath, then _moved_.

The nausea of losing what little remained of her MP nearly overcame her, but sheer force of will on her part kept her going. The world blurred around her, the sudden burst of motion nearly blinding her. But she could see the light up above, leaking ever so slowly through green leaves. She just needed to get closer. She need to climb higher. To climb _faster_.

Would she have been a normal human, her body would've been torn apart by moving at speeds it simply wasn't equipped to handle. But she wasn't a regular human anymore. She was an Adventurer and, even taking the fragile Enchanter class into account, that _meant something_.

Exhausted, singed, and her life being threatened, Lilith smiled widely. Finally, she broke through the canopy, leaves tossed into the air as she burst into the sunlight. The warm rays enveloped her, and she sighed, feeling her HP and MP slowly began to recover as a result. One of the many perks of the Insectivorous Plant subclass.

The boots icon blinked away, and the world slowed to its natural state as a result. She fell, almost lazily in comparison to the speeds she had reached only a second earlier, and landed on a thick blanket of leaves. She took a deep breath, and began to count.

_Ten, nine, eight…_

"Gah! Finally!"

She lifted her head to see her pursuers finally reach the canopy. There were five in total: two Human Pirates, an Elf Sorcerer (_fuck that guy_, she mentally noted), a Wolf Fang Swashbuckler, and the somewhat miffed Werecat Assassin, who she was happy to realize was still coated in her little surprise.

_Seven, six…_

"I don't care what ya did to the boss that made her want ya so bad, I'm killing ya right here!" the Werecat declared, raising his dagger menacingly.

_Five, four, three…_

"Hold up, you idiot!" shouted one of the Pirates, a woman, "The boss said-"

Whatever she was going to say next was rudely interrupted by the sun being blotted out, which was quickly followed by giant talons that spat at the Square Cube Law. Her pursuers cried out in panic as they were swept up by a bird the size of a three-story building, which screeched in triumph. With a push of its great, brown-feathered wings, the level 83 dire roc flew off in the distance, terrified prey in tow.

Lilith blinked and stared dumbly at the shrinking form of the party-rank monster before quickly sliding below the canopy before more of its kind showed up.

"So that old Lander tale was somewhat true. 'Ten seconds' my ass," she mumbled to no one in particular, grunting when she leaned against the hard, warm bark of the muma tree. "Ow. Woulda been nice if it also mentioned that they're freaking _dire rocs _instead of the normal kind. However much a roc can be 'normal', anyway."

Lilith sighed and shrugged. "Beggars can't be choosers, I guess. At least the damn nectar worked." She leaned over the edge of the branch and instantly regretted it. "There's no easy way down, is there?"

_Shit._

-NS-

Sunlight leaked through the window, coming down at just the right angle to hit Derv's eyes. Groaning, he pulled the blanket over his head, cursing the sun and doing his best to fall back asleep. Alas, slumber refused to return, so with unnecessary vehemence he swung the covers off himself. He rubbed at his eyes to drive away the grogginess, and when he lowered his hands he saw a strange tattoo on his left. Two blue circles, one large and the other small, covered the top of his left hand, with six lines cutting through them along the circumference.

Such tattoos were the trademark of the enigmatic Race of Ritual.

_So it really wasn't a dream after all,_ Derv thought, unsure of whether he preferred it that way or not. He pondered it for a moment before sighing and giving up. No point in wondering about that now. He looked around the room, which was big enough to fit three cots along their own wall, with the fourth wall having the door. The other two cots were notably empty.

_Not really surprised Sykko's up before me_, Derv mused as he stood up and stretched. _But Vellrish? I must've slept in._

He yawned and scratched at his face, surprised to find the first makings of silver stubble running along his narrow chin. _So these bodies grow hair normally. Good to know. _He walked out into the hallway, where several other doors lay. The first thing Nerd Sessions had done when they got back was purchase a couple more bedrooms as well as an expanded living room and kitchen.

Derv meandered down the hall, idly wondering if anyone else was up. He stepped into the common area, finding it nearly empty, save for two people. Linus was sitting in a wooden chair, staring outside while Sykko cut at his wavy orange hair with a pair of scissors.

"Wazzup, homie?" Sykko greeted, nodding at Derv as he clipped off some more.

"Oh, is the sleepyhead finally up?" asked Linus, who was facing away from where Derv had walked in. "Damn, I was gonna bang my drums in your ears if you hadn't woken up by the time Sykko was done."

"Hrmph," Derv offered by way of greeting, shuffling over the table and plopping down in a chair. "Where're the others?"

Sykko shrugged, still staring intently at Linus' head. "Either exploring Great Lakes or testing out their skills. Figured that was fine, since we'd only learn more by doing that. Told 'em to be back by afternoon, since I wanted to go over some plans with the group."

"Gucci," Derv said, "And you guys stayed behind because…?"

"He kept bitching about his long hair, so I told him to shut up and let me cut it."

"Hey now, if by 'bitching' you mean 'validly complaining'," Linus retorted indignantly, "Besides, this shit was obnoxious when we were fighting yesterday. Kept having to move it out of my face."

"Yeah, yeah," Sykko said, "I hear ya. Stop moving so I can finish up, butthole."

Linus grumbled something, pointed ears drooping slightly, but complied regardless.

Derv chuckled, before he realized something. "Hey Sykko, I didn't realize you changed your subclass to Barber."

"I didn't. I'm still a Brewer." His eyes lit up as he said those words. "And thanks for reminding me, I need to make us some drank as soon as possible."

"Hear, hear!" Linus chimed in.

Derv frowned. "But… don't you have to have the Barber subclass to cut hair?"

Sykko shook his head. "Not anymore, apparently. I'm just doing it how I normally would back home. Besides, this is just a buzz cut. Nothing special."

"Hm," Derv grunted. There was something there, he knew. Simple actions like that were restricted in _Elder Tale_, dependant entirely on what subclass you had. But it looked like that was no longer the case. Did that make the Barber subclass, and by extension other subclasses like it, irrelevant?

Derv's stomach rumbled and his frown deepened.

_World mysteries later_, he decided, _Food now._

"So," he started, standing up, "We got any food? Starving."

Sykko stopped snipping, sharing a glance with Linus.

"Okay… that's not ominous or anything," Derv said uneasily.

"You wanna tell him or should I?" asked Linus.

"Eh, it's best if he sees for himself," Sykko answered, "Derv, there should be a salad in the kitchen. Try it out."

"Uh… okay," Derv looked at his friends like they'd grown extra heads before turning around, heading to the kitchen. Indeed, there was a salad waiting there next to the sink. His stomach grumbled at the sight, and despite his foreboding friends he licked his lips. The green lettuce leaves looked fresh and glistened in the sunlight, and there were ripe tomato and onion slices smattered about it. Some sort of dressing was on it, giving the whole salad a brown sheen.

There was already a fork in the bowl, so Derv happily helped himself to it and took a bite of lettuce and onion.

And then he spat it right out.

"Gah! The hell?!" he glared at Sykko and Linus. "It takes like… like…"

"Soggy crackers?" Linus offered.

"Yeah…" Derv shook his head, "Very funny, guys. Now where's the real food?"

"That _is_ the real food," Linus answered, expression downcast. "Made it myself. I must've tried a hundred different recipes, but it all tastes the same."

Derv looked at the salad once again. It sure _looked _like a normal salad. Nothing about it suggested that it'd taste so… _shitty_. He sighed. "Okay, this whole situation got much worse."

"You're telling me," Sykko said, resuming his work on Linus, "Didn't realize how much I missed real food until I couldn't have it. Now…" he frowned, "There's gotta be a way around it. There's _no way _this world only has shitty food."

"Wait," Linus gasped, eyes widening, "Does that mean that whatever you brew won't have any taste, too?"

"… Then we really are in hell," Sykko answered solemnly, shaking his head. Sighing, he stepped back from the seated Bard. "Anyway, I'm donezo."

"Finally," Linus moved a hand over his scalp, "Feels much better now. Thanks, dude."

Sykko shrugged. "No problem." He glanced downward at the mess of orange hair now littering the wooden floor. "You're cleaning up, though."

"Actually, I wanted to try something," Derv interjected, walking over next to them. Opening the palm of his right hand, he intoned, "**Mystic Summon: Brownie**."

A green ball of light flickered above his palm, a tiny, dark shape vaguely seen within. The ball _popped_ like a balloon, revealing a miniature humanoid figure the size of Derv's hand resting on his palm. It looked like an average male human, with mousy features and a rag of brown hair atop its little head, save for its fingers, which were elongated and almost reached its knees. It was wearing what looked like a vest and pants made of socks stitched together.

With lidded purple eyes, it looked up at Derv and asked in a squeaky voice, "What would Master ask of your humble servant this day?"

Derv coughed, looking uncomfortable. "Uh, could you clean up the hair for me?"

The brownie looked down from his perch and, after spying the mess on the floor, shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Oh, this just won't do, won't do at all." At that, the tiny fairy hopped off of Derv's hand and began to collect the orange hair. "Your humble servant will have it done in a jiff, Master, yes he will."

After staring at the brownie work for a few seconds, Linus finally said, "You know, when you cast the spell, I thought things were gonna get really racist."

Sykko cuffed him upside the head.

-NS-

Two warriors stood facing each other in a grand arena. The immense structure surrounded the combatants on three sides, with the eastern part left open to the wide blue lake that shimmered under the sun. On the wall facing the lake, the statue of an unknown warrior stood proudly over the stands, palms resting on the hilt of a claymore the size of a truck in an intimidating pose. Whatever glory the statue might have had in the past had long ago faded, however, as most of the marble was covered in moss and red flowers blooming along its shoulders.

The arena was known as The Hero's Call, the only place where combat between adventurers was allowed in Great Lakes, so long as there were no player kills. There were always at least two Royal Guards on-duty at The Hero's Call, their hulking blue figures standing vigil at the gateway leading out of the arena.

"For God's sake, fight already!" cried a voice from the stands.

Vellrish sighed and glanced in the direction of the voice. The stands were utterly barren, save for particular plated players watching over them. Benedor had his arms folded over his chest, a look of impatience on his face, while Aditon stared back at Vellrish, wordlessly wiping his battleaxe with a cloth.

He turned back to his opponent. Snodd faced him and shrugged his slim but muscle-ridden shoulders. Brandishing his two trusty short swords, the Twin Fangs of Doubt, Vellrish sighed again and pressed an icon on the menu.

**Would you like to challenge Snodd to a duel?**

Vellrish tapped 'Yes'.

**Challenging Snodd… Snodd has accepted the challenge to a duel! Starting duel in 5…**

The Swashbuckler raised his weapons, steel gleaming in the sunlight. His wolf ears twitched in anticipation.

…**4…**

Snodd widened his stance, extending his right palm forward while coiling back his left hand into a fist.

…**3…**

"**Tiger Stance!**" Snodd bellowed, and the Monk's feet were immediately enveloped in a red aura. The vague outline of a translucent snarling tiger appeared over his silver hair, and a smirk crossed his face.

_Is that how we're gonna play? _Vellrish thought with a smile. _Fine then!_

…**2…**

"**Fury of the Beast!**" he snarled, activating the passive racial skill of the Wolf Fangs. His irises became a bright gold and the brown fur on his head shot up as if charged. A phantom tail glowing an ethereal green materialized behind him as he felt his muscles surge with newfound strength. With rapidly-sharpening teeth, Vellrish grinned.

…**1…**

**Fight!**

Snodd _launched _off of the ground, leaving mini-craters from where his feet had been just moments before, and shouted **"Wyvern Kick!**".

Vellrish leapt, narrowly avoiding the Monk's first attack. As Snodd passed under him, Vellrish jabbed downward with his right sword and said, "**Early Thrust!**" Snodd cursed when the blade stabbed into his shoulder, planting his feet into the ground and halting his charge. A translucent marker hovered where he'd been wounded, taking the shape of a playing card.

Vellrish landed next to him, a look of concern crossing his face. "You okay, dude? I didn't mean to-"

"**Tiger Echo Fist!**" Snodd hollered, spinning around and planting a plated fist into Vellrish's gut. The Swashbuckler gasped and curled into the punch, spitting saliva as he feebly tried to cry out. An awful sensation reeled through his body, like an oscillation bouncing back and forth within him and destroying his insides.

Then an explosion erupted from Snodd's fist, right as Vellrish felt like his breath was coming back to him. The fiery eruption sent him tumbling backward, rolling through the dirt and swearing like a sailor. He eventually skidded to a stop right next to one of the Royal Guard, who simply stared ahead, unmoved by the fight.

"Oh ho ho," Snodd cheered, staring at his own fist in amazement, "I like that one."

Vellrish spat at the ground as he stood back up. With eyes clouded by the red haze of **Fury of the Beast**, he glared at his opponent and snarled, "That's how we're gonna play? Fine then!" He pointed the tip of his right blade forward and shouted, "**Quick Assault!**"

The sword _yanked_ toward Snodd, pulling Vellrish with it as the weapon charged ahead. Snodd had no time to react when Vellrish was suddenly in his face and viciously stabbing at him. A few of the blows managed to land, doing only minimal damage, but then Vellrish jumped into the air and began to spin.

"**Round Windmill!**" he roared. A white aura surrounded him and his weapons glowed brilliantly as the spinning intensified, becoming a halo of steel that descended upon Snodd. An unrelenting barrage of attacks hit the Monk, quickly dishing far more damage than he'd anticipated.

"Calm down, man!" Snodd complained, before using a **Phantom Step** to dash away from the assault. "I thought we were just trying things out!"

"That's exactly what I'm doing!" Vellrish called, even as he used another **Quick Assault **to close the gap between them.

Snodd groaned but blocked the attack, prepared for it that time. The two warriors met each other once more, kicking up dust as they quickly exchanged blows, although Vellrish struck with far more anger than Snodd.

In the stands, Aditon sighed. "Classic Vellrish, getting butthurt right away and losing control."

"You're one to talk," Benedor commented as he cast a heal on Snodd. While duels could never end in death, they would end if a player's HP reached one point, so it was decided that he would just keep healing both sides instead of them having to keep starting duels over and over again.

"That's different," Aditon protested, sitting up. "He gets stupid angry. Mine's more… _pure _than that."

"Pure?" Benedor snorted. "I don't get what's so pure about your anger. It's not like you don't get mad over stupid shit, too. Remember when you smashed your mouse because of a bad League game?"

"No, that's not…" Aditon started, before frowning and shaking his head. "It's different. Just… okay, I'll admit, that was dumb. But I was more referring to when it comes to fighting."

Benedor shrugged his massive shoulders, leaning back against the stands and resting his blonde head on the cool stone. "I'd agree. Mainly because you like to scream about blood all the damn time. Fuckin' weirdo." The Cleric cast his friend a lop-sided grin.

Aditon returned the smile, though weakly.

-NS-

In the infested half of Great Lakes, Gotenks walked out in the field and winced as the sunlight hit his eyes. A light breeze tugged at him, gently nudging him westward into the vast, open plain. He gazed out into the field, amber-furred tail flitting slightly in the wind, noting that the damage to the land from yesterday's battle had not faded. Large cracks in the earth rose angrily amidst the rolling hills, left where Aditon had smashed the earth. Small swathes of scorched land marred the golden grass that waved in the air.

It was as good as a place as any to see if it worked.

Gotenks took a deep breath and walked further into the field, idly swinging his tail back and forth, testing the motion. He still hadn't gotten quite used to having the damn thing, but he refused to let the strange sensation distract him from his experiments.

Once he reached the crater he'd left from his earlier attempt at fire-flying, he stopped and took out his wand. Its physical appearance was rather plain, looking like little more than a fossilized horn attached to a handle made of brown leather. To a sharper mind, or at least someone who'd been told earlier, they would've realized the horn was actually a red dragon's, a monster that stood five-stories tall on its hind legs and had a wingspan twice that.

Gotenks grinned a little at the memory of crafting the wand, which was named Blitzkrieg Spike. That had been a long but rewarding weekend.

He raised Blitzkrieg Spike up with his right hand, tip of the horn pointing down.

_Showtime._

"**Blitzkrieg Spike: On**." Gotenks intoned. The wand trembled in his hand and began to glow orange, with a tiny and weak flame being born at the tip. The tops of the baby fire licked at the bone feebly, but with every brush against the wand Gotenks could feel power surging through his veins. Something raw and vicious began to writhe just beneath the surface of his skin, and Gotenks' grin widened as heat coursed through his being.

_That should handle MP cost and CD time. Next step._

He was more unsure about the next step. It relied on two skills interacting in a way that they ever had in the game, but if he could pull it off…

"**Inferno Strike!**" The flame at the horn's tip surged instantly, hungrily engulfing Blitzkrieg Spike. His hand was enveloped as well, but to his surprise the fire didn't harm him. For a second, nothing else happened, and Gotenks wondered if perhaps applying a weapon buff to an already active weapon skill really didn't matter, until something _glorious _happened.

The intensity of the energy rushing through him increased tenfold, nearly overwhelming him. As it was, he could barely stand, gritting his teeth and tail straightening. There was a fire _inside _him now, he knew, raging within him and demanding to be set free.

_So… this is what happens…_

His thoughts were barely coherent, overtaken by the raging inferno that was threatening to swallow him whole. He almost quit right then and there, fighting back tears and trembling. But he remembered something he'd heard long ago, a lesson taught by a caring uncle to his troubled nephew.

"Fire… is the element of power," Gotenks stated, finding strength in the words, "Those who wield it… have desire and will… and the energy and drive to achieve what they want."

Oh, by whatever gods existed in Theldesia, he _wanted this more than anything_.

He took a deep inhale, feeling the fire within rise in his chest as it was fed air. Then he exhaled, sparks leaking out through his lips, and the fire grew less intense, briefly mollified. He took another deep breath, then another. Control. He had to maintain control, and the key was in the breath.

And then the fire vanished.

Gotenks stumbled, knees bending as his body suddenly felt too weak, as if all of its energy had disappeared in an instant. The flames along Blitzkrieg Spike dissipated into nothingness, and his arm flopped uselessly to his side.

_"_What the hell?!" he sputtered, falling to his knees as the last reserves of energy faded from him. Disturbed dust wafted into the air around him. "It was working! I had control!"

"Relax, man," called a familiar voice behind him, "Can't expect to master it on the first go. Especially when it's bullshit magic like that."

Gotenks turned to see Monsumesi, who was casually squatting at the edge of the crater, smirking at him. The Assassin's green cloak blew freely through the air as he stood up.

"I get it, you wanna max out your skills and experiment like crazy, like you always do," Mons continued, "But you need to slow it down, otherwise you'll just kill yourself. And that ain't cool."

"Yeah, yeah," Gotenks grumbled, finally having enough energy to stand. He wiped the dust off his pants and groaned. "What're you doing here, anyway? Thought you'd be practicing with the others."

Mons shrugged, turning to look back at the forest. "Eh, I get the feeling there's gonna be a ton of time for that. Besides, you ran off on your own. _Again_." The Dwarf glared at his Fox Tail friend. "I'm not letting that shit fly, especially considering the circumstances."

Gotenks snorted in response. "Classic Mons, being a loose cannon and doing his own thing."

"I'll never understand why you idiots call me that." Despite his harsh tone, a smirk formed on Mons' lips. "Anyway, c'mon. You can practice going Super Saiyan later, but now we should head back home. Sykko said he's got something planned."

-NS-

The streets of Great Lakes were dismal. Gone was the frantic energy of panic and shock brought on by the adventurers suddenly finding themselves in the game world. Now, they all sat in groups on the dirty ground, moping or staring into space blankly, occasionally muttering something indecipherable. With their bowed heads and still bodies, it was difficult to believe that these were the supposed heroes that had slain countless monsters and strode through Theldesia as if they were invincible.

Hollis shook his head slightly as he strode through Great Lakes, finding himself unable to avoid being affected by the depressing atmosphere. The Medicine Man flexed his free left hand, gaze wandering over the adventurers that could hardly be called such.

_These people gave up hope the instant they got here,_ Hollis realized.

That wasn't to say there weren't any adventurers walking around, however. Some, mostly those in the larger guilds, moved through the city in packs, faces set with grim, stony determination. The large combat guilds, the most notable of which being the Iron Wyrms and Crimson Pact, had been going on hunting expeditions since the night they got here. Hollis had figured that they did it simply because they had nothing better to do.

_But how long until they get bored of that?_

Hollis finally reached his destination, a giant resplendent building at the center of Great Lakes. With beautiful and ornate architecture and turquoise-tinged limestone, the Cathedral of Great Lakes truly was a sight to behold. People had gravitated toward it in the aftermath of "The Catastrophe", as it had come to be called among the adventurers, to see if someone would be revived there.

That was the greatest fear among everyone, Hollis included. In the game, you'd simply revive in the Cathedral of the last city you entered if you were killed. Now that the game was reality, though…

_Do we die if we're killed?_ Hollis asked internally, before snorting and smiling slightly to himself. _Wow, that sounds like such a stupid question when you think about it._

Unfortunately, it was still a valid question, so Hollis found himself among the downcast masses. Great Lakes typically had the third largest population on the North American Server, right behind Big Apple and South Angel, numbering at about a thousand currently. There had to be at least half of them present at the Cathedral, with most of the rest hanging around the now-defunct Fairy Ring.

That was _another _issue to deal with. The inter-city transportation system was down, forcing anyone who wanted to travel to a different city to physically get there on their own.

Amazingly, Hollis hadn't found the ever-growing list of problems with the world tiresome. In fact, it had the opposite effect; he was _excited _to explore and discover everything he could about the world. Perhaps it was just the way his mind worked, but he'd already been rolling ideas in his head with how to deal with the depressing state of Great Lakes, keep the more powerful guilds in check, as well as other issues. There was no clear plan whatsoever at the moment, but given enough time…

His thoughts were interrupted by something flashing within the Cathedral.

-NS-

Derv leaned out the window, idly scratching at the silver stubble on his chin. From his vantage point he couldn't see Lake Michigan, or Mistral Lake as it was called in _Elder Tale_, but he could certainly smell and hear it. The cries of gulls echoed through halls of dilapidated buildings, and the stench of rotting aquatic life filled his nose. He turned his brown eyes downward, noting a procession of members of the Iron Wyrms guild departing the guild hall.

They made quite the scene, which was hardly surprising. They were one of the few combat guilds that rivaled the size of Morning Star, which was easily ranked as the most influential guild on the North American server. They also had the distinction of being the first guild to clear the Titan of Scales raid in the overwhelmingly hostile Dragonette Colony, which was something they would just never _shut up_ about.

Most of them wore similarly-colored gear, ranging from bright silver to gunmetal grey, and every member of their group had at least one Phantasmal-rank item on display. But as resplendent as they all were, none of them held a candle to the guild master.

Bedecked in ornate grey armor that had a black and silver trim, he strode through the streets of Great Lakes with a predator's dignity, steely eyes never wavering from directly ahead of him. A blood red cape clung to him, the symbol of a silver serpent coiling around a black dagger proudly emblazoned. Everything about the man, from confidant stride to his grim expression, gave the impression of someone who had taken one look at the circumstances of being trapped in a hostile world filled with monsters and mysteries and was _unafraid_.

**Sachilles**

**Race/Human**

**Guardian, Lv. 90**

**Iron Wyrms - Guild Master**

If there was anyone that the adventurers of Great Lakes would turn to for security, it would be him.

Derv watched the parade of Iron Wyrms go, until he felt a tiny prick on his foot. He looked down to see the brownie staring up at him.

"Fizzle is informing Master that his friends have arrived, as Fizzle was instructed to," the diminutive fairy reported.

"Thanks, Fizzle," Derv said. Just like Yue, the brownie had been apparently nameless since forming a contract with him, so it was once again his job to name the servant. Honestly, he hadn't put as much thought into naming the brownie as he had with Yue, just blurting out the first thing that came to his mind. Would he have to do that for all of his summons?

Footsteps echoed from behind him, and Derv turned to see the golden leather-adorned figure of Vellrish joining him at the window.

"How was training?" Derv asked by way of greeting.

"Fun as hell," Vellrish said excitedly, wolf ears perking up. "I sparred with Snodd just to work out the kinks, while Benedor kept us healed up. Dude, we could've fought each other for _hours_, and we barely even covered the basics!"

"Nice." Derv's expression faltered slightly as he realized something. "So…"

"Alright, get over here, everyone!" Sykko called, waving the guild members to him by the dinner table. "Time to hash shit out."

"Looks like Glorious Leader needs us," Vellrish commenting, a smirk briefly crossing his face before disappearing. "We'll talk after, though. Is it about home?"

Derv nodded. Vellrish nodded back before sighing loudly and joining the group, Derv right behind him. Everyone was there, forming a circle around the wooden table, although only Benedor was actually seated, eating away at a steaming hot sandwich that looked far better than it no doubt tasted.

"Alright, nerds," Sykko started, folding his arms as everyone turned to face him. "Anyone learn anything while they were out?"

"We still revive when we're killed," Hollis reported instantly. "I saw someone respawn in the Cathedral right before heading over."

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief at the news, but as it sank in their expressions grew far more pensive.

"So… we're immortal now?" Benedor asked, frowning as he wiped away crumbs from his mouth.

"Looks like it," Linus answered. "Honestly, I'm kinda glad at least _that _carried over from the game."

Aditon meanwhile was grinning to himself.

"If it's still like the game, we'd still lose experience points when we died…" Derv said, brows furrowing. "But there has to be more of a catch than that. It seems… too good to be true."

"I agree," Sykko said, leaning forward onto the table. "We can't afford to just accept everything without questioning it, especially considering the way things are. I know that we all want to just go off on adventures and fool around, believe me, I want to just do that _so bad_, but… we can't. Like Derv said, this is our reality for now. We need to treat it like that."

"Absolutely," Mons agreed, speaking from his spot leaning against the wall, "So what're we gonna do?"

Sykko smiled, and Derv could've sworn he saw something twinkle in his friend's eyes. "I got an idea…"

-NS-

A few hours later, Linus gazed into the forest beyond the safe zone of Great Lakes. From his vantage point on top of a six-story building, he could pick out individual leaves turning orange from the setting sun as well as the myriad lizards and shrew-like creatures that scampered through the foliage despite being well over a mile away from the forest's edge. Something deep within him was vaguely pushing him towards the woods, as if his body longed to dance between the trees and be at one with nature.

It was a part of him that didn't match with his own desires whatsoever, and that frightened him.

_Is it because I'm an Elf, now?_ Linus pondered, once again keenly aware of his pointy ears. _I hope I'm not gonna become a hippy now or some shit like that._

Doing his best to repress his misgivings for the moment, the Bard turned his attention to the pair of snare drums laid at his side. Made from wood and dire bear leather, the two drums made up the Pulse-Pounders, a set he'd crafted at the Bardic College. The instruments were no small source of pride for him, considering the pain-staking process he'd gone through to create them.

Sighing, he strapped the Pulse-Pounders to his back and hefted the Viper Trident, resting the weapon on his shoulder. It was getting time to head back.

_Maybe I should check out the BC again now that things are different…_

Of course, all of these rambling thoughts about Elves and drums and Colleges only served to distract him from what was really bothering him. After all, he'd left someone behind when he found himself suddenly transported to the world of Theldesia.

-NS-

Snodd was back at The Hero's Call, trying to imitate some of the moves he had used in his duel with Vellrish before it was time to head out. He let loose a flurry of kicks and punches, trying different combos and techniques to see which flowed the easiest. However, he couldn't put his heart into it no matter how hard he tried. Images flashed in his mind of a mother and father, a couple of sisters, and a pool full of fond memories…

Even when given a body far more powerful than he could ever hope to obtain in reality, even when thrust into a world of fantasy and adventure… Snodd couldn't help but think of home.

He halted when he noticed something strange.

The vague outline of translucent feline features hugged his frame, intensifying with light for every skill he used. If he focused, he could hear the faint sound of a growling beast in his ears. Snodd looked around the arena, searching for any monsters that had somehow gotten past the magic circle of Great Lakes but found none.

"That's weird," he murmured to himself, "I'm not using Tiger Stance…"

-NS-

Monsumesi growled to himself when he had get on his tip-toes to reach a cabinet. For not the first time, he cursed himself for choosing to be a Dwarf. Not that the stocky race didn't have its perks, of course. Dwarves had the highest natural stamina out of all the races, not to mention that his small size would naturally make him far more capable when sneaking about as an Assassin. Still…

"This is bullshit…" he mumbled, thankful that no one was around to see him have to step on the counter. "Although at least I don't have a freakin' tail."

-NS-

Golden-furred tail wagging excitedly, Gotenks thrust his activated Blitzkrieg Spike into the air and shouted, "**Flare Arrow!**"He felt the fire surge through his arm, letting the heat rush upward and fill him with sudden warmth, when a single bolt of flame shot out from the pointed tip of his wand. The streak of red and orange quickly disappeared into the dusky sky.

Gotenks smiled, letting his arm fall to his side and feeling Blitzkrieg Spike return to its normal state. He was quickly becoming addicted to the sensation of using magic, the mere thrill of commanding such strange power filling him with delight. He would master it, he decided then. He would break magic down to its fundamentals and figure out what made it tick. He would make a science of it.

_If this is our reality… then I have no problem with that._

-NS-

Hollis sighed and leaned against a mossy concrete wall, looking back over the saddening array of dejected adventurers sitting in the streets feeling sorry for themselves. As dusk approached some had started to huddle around fires, but even then those were the exception rather than the norm. He tightened his grip on his staff, The Caller of the Herald, knuckles growing white.

Looking at all of those people giving up only strengthened his resolve. It was all just another quest, in his eyes. Instead of killing a certain amount of monsters or escorting People of the Land, however, Hollis had chosen a quest that he knew would be his most difficult yet.

That was just fine with him. It gave him something to think about besides the people he missed.

-NS-

"You're telling me it costs _five _gold for this tasteless crap?" Benedor asked in bewilderment, staring wide-eyed at the stand full of prepared food.

The Lander, a middle-aged and portly Human, scratched his thick salt-and-pepper beard in confusion. "Ya know, you adventurers never complained about my food _or _my prices before a couple days ago. I don't see much point in changing that now, though." He didn't seem at all offended by Benedor's comment.

"Ugh," the Cleric groaned, shoulders slumping, "I… never mind. Sorry. Just tired of everything tasting the same."

_Wait… this guy's an NPC. Why'd I just apologize to him? _

The Lander merchant shrugged. "Afraid I can't help ya there, son. This is the way it's been since the Old Rebellion. "

"Right…" Benedor said, before shaking his head and abruptly walking away. Nonplussed, the older man waved him off.

"Come back when you get a taste for tasteless crap!" he called after him. Benedor snickered at that, despite himself. Perhaps even NPCs had a sense of humor. His hand automatically reached for his pocket to grab his phone, so that he could text…

_Oh. Right._

Cell phones were hardly a common feature of standard fantasy worlds. His expression soured as the reality hit him. It wasn't the lack of the phone itself that made him unhappy so much as it was the absence of the girl he wanted to talk to in the first place.

_I hope she's alright…_

-NS-

Aditon grunted and struggled to breathe as he lifted a boulder the size of a truck. He could feel his body's enhanced muscles straining from the exertion, but he kept pushing himself. The Guardian took a shaky step forward, earth cracking beneath his boot, then with a mighty roar tossed the boulder into the air. With a great crash it smashed into the ground ten meters away, causing the world to tremble beneath his feet.

He panted and wiped his brow, before realizing that he wasn't even sweating. He made a "Hmph" at the results of his attempt, shaking his head.

"Not as far as I thought it'd go," Aditon noted, disappointment evident in his voice. Still, he'd proven that his incredibly high Strength stat didn't just apply to his attacks and that was absolutely worth it.

After all, it gave him _ideas_. With a feral grin, he began looking for another heavy object to toss around, gleefully immersing himself into the new world.

-NS-

Vellrish bounded across the skyline of Great Lakes, grinning widely as the wind whipped at his body high in the air. With great leaps he darted from rooftop to rooftop and laughed whenever he made a particularly shaky landing. He couldn't help but feel like a superhero as he darted between and over buildings as if they were nothing.

"I _love _this body!" he cried joyfully at the setting sun, arms spread eagle in midair.

He occasionally caught views of the downcast adventurers in the streets, all of which had their faces firmly facing the dirt. Vellrish shook his head at them.

_Who the hell would be _unhappy_ about any of this?!_

-NS-

Sykko rubbed at his temples very deliberately, forcing his mind get used to the new body he now inhabited. Muscle memory was proving to be a royal bitch and the minor irritations of constantly misjudging his size and length were getting to him. He'd noticed it in the others too, like when Linus would bump his head on low-hanging objects or when Mons would try to idly scratch his side but instead end up scratching his arm. It was easy to forget the little changes amidst all the big changes, but the little things had a habit of biting you in the ass if you didn't give them due attention.

So Sykko rubbed his temples, not because he was annoyed or exasperated, but because he knew it would get him used to himself quicker. If they were going to end up fighting worse things than low-level goblins, which he just _knew _they would, he had to be comfortable in his own skin.

He groaned and stopped, glancing around the guild hall of Nerd Sessions and the place that he knew they'd have to call home for the foreseeable future. It would do for now, he'd decided.

Sykko kept himself from mulling over just what that meant, and the fact that the guild hall might end up being home forever. He didn't think about the world he'd left behind, about his parents or his brothers or other friends. He didn't think about how he'd had his future lined up already, about how hard he had worked to get where he was and be someone that was going to _matter_ to his country, and he absolutely didn't think about how it had all been gone in an instant.

His fingers slowly curled into a fist. He closed his eyes and sharply inhaled.

Thinking about such things would be… distracting.

-NS-

The rickety door slowly creaked open at his touch. Derv took a deep breath as he stepped into the ruined apartment, steeling himself for whatever he might find. Behind him, Yue drifted forward and spun her head around, already searching for anything of interest.

"Master, why are we here?" she asked in that light voice of hers. She trailed a dainty webbed hand along the wall as she floated.

"Just seeing if this place really is the Chicago I know," Derv answered. Tomorrow, he would be leaving Great Lakes to begin putting Sykko's idea into effect, but before then, visiting this place was something that he felt like he had to do. He frowned when he walked through the hallway and noticed the bathroom on the left. There lay a bathtub filled with grime and plants, as well as a toilet that had been violently ripped from its base.

He shook his head and kept going. He passed a closet to his right, then entered into the main room. A small sized kitchen on the left, with windows overlooking a squat two-story house that had a porch on its roof. Ahead of him was the living room and…

He gasped.

Two couches covered in filth, facing a broken TV set. Derv remembered carrying that very same TV set when he'd helped his friend move in to the apartment over a year ago. It had been long and clumsy work, lifting the damn thing up two cramped flights of stairs with the help of his friend and a Persian acquaintance of his.

"Master?" Yue was suddenly in his face, indigo eyes staring into his with a curious expression. "You look strange."

"Eh?" he managed, startled by her. He took a deep breath and rubbed his face. "Um, sorry, it's nothing. Just remembering…"

Remembering events that couldn't have happened in the world of Theldesia. Yet there the TV was…

"Hm," Derv grunted, looking over the rest of the apartment. It all looked far too similar. Sure, everything was in a significantly worse state than before, but the layout was almost exactly the same. To Derv, it all led to one question in his mind:

What had happened to Earth?


End file.
